The Aga Khan to visit Houston on Sunday

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- His Highness the Aga Khan is making a 10-day Diamond Jubilee visit to the United States, marking 60 years of his leadership.

He will be visiting Atlanta and Houston.

The Aga Khan will be received by the Secretary of the State and the Ismaili Muslim leadership upon arrival in Houston on Sunday.

During his visit, he is scheduled to meet with Governor Abbott and the Ismaili community. A significant portion of the Ismaili community from around the U.S. is coming to Houston for this occasion.

The Ismaili community in Houston has been anxiously preparing for this visit with thousands of volunteers helping to make this historic visit memorable by working around the clock.

The Ismailis enthusiastically contribute to community service initiatives in Texas.

"Houston is proud to have a strong and vibrant Ismaili Muslim community that is focused on giving back to the communities it lives in, focused on making Houston a better city for all its citizens," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. "The Ismaili Muslim community is a thought partner and a symbol of the religious and cultural pluralism that makes America the greatest nation on earth."

The ethical principles that the local Ismaili Muslim community embodies, as exemplified by the Aga Khan, reflected in their everyday lives as Houstonians, and their work in the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts were recognized by the mayor's office, the Houston Food Bank and a Points of Light award presented to the Ismaili volunteers by five former U.S. presidents.

An interactive exhibition titled Ethics in Action: The Aga Khan Development Network, hosted by the City of Houston is on display at the City Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 23. This exhibition coincides with the Aga Khan's Diamond Jubilee by bringing to life the work of the institutions he has established through the AKDN to improve the well-being of individuals and communities globally.